Wednesday, 15 October 2014

Mobile device usage rises for Internet surfing in Shanghai

About 77.3 percent of people in Shanghai use hand-held Mobile devices such as cell phones and tablet computers to use internet. PHOTO: STOCK IMAGE
SHANGHAI: China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) survey on Wednesday noted that mobile devices such as cell phones and tablet computers have become the second-most popular tool used for Internet browsing in Shanghai besides computers,Xinhua reported on Wednesday.
About 77.3 per cent of people in Shanghai use hand-held mobile devices such as cell phones and tablet computers to use internet, according to the survey done by NBS in the eastern Shanghai metropolis area.
Shanghai citizens spend an average 1.8 hours a day online using mobile terminals, which amounts for a daily 60 per cent of the total time Shanghai people spend online.
The survey also showed that the Internet, besides television and newspapers, was the second-largest media for people to get latest news. The top three motivations for going online ranged from browsing for finding information to do shopping and also for some entertainment.
Around 3,000 randomly chosen residents of 140 communities in Shanghai participated in the survey.

Man with Google Glass suffers from 'Internet addiction disorder'

PARIS, FRANCE: A 31-year-old American was treated for addiction after wearing Google Glass for up to 18 hours a day and even experienced dreams as if looking through the device, doctors said.
It is the first known case of Internet addiction involving Google Glass, a fledgling technology which provides online access via a tiny screen attached to a spectacle frame, they said.
The naval serviceman had a history of drinking, depressive moods and relationship difficulties, according to the case study reported in the journal Addictive Behaviors.
He was admitted to the US Navy’s Substance Abuse Recovery Programme (SARP) in San Diego, California, in September 2013 after resuming heavy drinking.
“The patient had been wearing the Google Glass device each day for up to 18 hours for two months prior to admission, removing the device during sleep and bathing,” the paper says.
“He noted that when he dreamed during his residential treatment, he envisioned the dream through the device.”
“He would experience the dream through a small grey window, which was consistent with what he saw when wearing the device while awake.”
His superiors had allowed the man to use the device for his job as it sped up his work of identifying and logging convoy vehicles.
The gadget also helped him socially, as a topic of conversation with strangers.
The serviceman developed a dependence on the device, and without it “he was less confident and exhibited significant craving similar to patients desiring their substance of abuse,” the study said.
Examined on admission, the patient repeatedly raised his right hand to his temple to tap it with his forefinger — an almost involuntary motion that he had used to turn on Google Glass and gain access to the Internet.
During the admission interview, the man’s short-term memory was poor, he often lost his train of thought and rarely made eye contact, doctors found.
Under the facility’s rules, patients have to give up computers and mobile phones during treatment — something that caused the patient much frustration and annoyance.
“He stated, ‘The withdrawal from this is much worse than the withdrawal I went through from alcohol’,” the study reported.
After his 35-day treatment, the patient became less irritable, the tapping of his temple became less frequent and his thought process and short-term memory improved.
But he still intermittently experienced dreams as if looking through the Glass window.
The investigators did not point the finger of blame at Google Glass but rather at a phenomenon called “Internet addiction disorder”, or IAD.
This is not an officially-recognised medical condition but a term used by some specialists to describe a damaging craving to be online, through video games, computers, phones or other mobile gadgets.
The problem often has an underlying psychological cause, and can be interwoven with other addictive behaviour, such as alcohol or drug abuse.
“To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of IAD involving problematic use of Google Glass,” said the probe, led by Andrew Doan of the SARP.
“Technology has numerous benefits to individuals and to society. However, excessive utilisation of any substance, behaviour and technological device will be associated with physiological and emotional dysfunction.”

Sunday, 12 October 2014

Divers use high tech Exosuit to explore the Antikythera wreck

Archaeologists are using an innovative deep sea diving suit called the Exosuit when they dive to an ancient shipwreck that was home to a very remarkable object, the Antikythera Mechanism.20-researcherst [Image Courtesy of American Museum of Natural History] The Antikythera Mechanism is thought to be the oldest computer in the world, a device from the 2nd century BC, found by divers looking for sponges just off a remote island in Greece in the Aegean Sea. The mechanism is very complex and features as many as 40 bronze gears and cogs which the Greeks uses to help keep track of the cycle of the solar system. It’s believed that it wasn’t until 1500 years later before another sophisticated astrological clock was made in Europetheantikythe. [Image Courtesy of American Museum of Natural History] Archaeologists will be making another dive to the wreck wearing an up to date high tech diving suit. This means they will be able to dive at more than double the depth they can now, along with remaining on the bottom of the sea for a lot longer. The idea for the Exosuit came from Nuytco Research in Canada and when wearing the suit, divers will be able to go down to 150 metres. Archaeologist Theotokis Theodoulou said that divers will still be able to undertake delicate tasks despite the fact that the suit looks like a cumbersome and puffy space suit. He told the team that have set off to Antikythera that it will expand their capabilities; they will be able to dig, grasp and pluck for several hours at a time. The Greek island dive site is situated between Crete and Peloponnese. antikythera-exosuit[Image Courtesy of American Museum of Natural History] It is thought that there are still many artefacts lying undiscovered in the wreck and previously, divers only had the equipment to operate at up to 60 meters depth. The mechanism was lying alongside a bronze statue of a youth in the wreckage of the ship and researchers believe there could be many other treasures on-board that haven’t yet been discovered yet. “We have good signs that there are other objects present,” said Angeliki Simosi, head of Greece’s directorate of underwater antiquities, after exploratory dives in the area in 2012 and 2013. “There are dozens of items left, this was a ship bearing immense riches from Asia Minor,” added archaeologist Dimitris Kourkoumelis. Divers are hoping to be able to confirm another shipwreck around 250 meters away from the original site. The Greek island of Antikythera was one of the busiest trade routes at one time. The team is going to be helped by a Woods Hole Oceanographic expert, Brendan Foley; he was among the divers who dove down to the wreck of the Titanic. He has been involved in identifying many ancient wrecks during the last five years. The expedition will also be equiped with other high tech devices such as robot mapping equipment and advanced closed-circuit re-breathers. These should allow the diving team to spend more time at the site. The new equipment means that divers can spend an extra 30 minutes at the bottom of the ocean each day along with having greater mental acuity and greater safety margins. Via [PHYS.org] - See more at: http://interestingengineering.com/divers-use-high-tech-exosuit-to-explore-the-antikythera-wreck/#sthash.dgUZlN56.dpuf

Saturday, 4 October 2014

Over in South Korea an architectural company by the name of Moon Hoon has come up with a design for a house based on Star Wars. When looking at the property it looks like something that has been airlifted straight from the set of the latest Star Wars movie and dropped in a residential area. The architectural firm designed the Star Wars House with a family on a low budget in mind and it is has fun styling as well as being practicalstarwars_house_moon_hoon-17. [Image Courtesy of Moon Hoon] The unusual project was finished in 2013 and was the idea of an airline pilot and ground crew wife. They asked Moon Hoon to make them a home that was suitable for their family and which had a small physical footprintstarwars_house_moon_hoon-16. [Image Courtesy of Moon Hoon] As the husband had dreams of becoming an astronaut when he was younger, this was the starting point for the design. There was a great deal of brainstorming and eventually the company came up with a house that had a Star Wars look to it on the exteriorstarwars_house_moon_hoon-2. [Image Courtesy of Moon Hoon] The home does have an unusual shape, however the interior is very practical for families and it is comfortable. starwars_house_moon_hoon-13It was built over three storeys and offers a total floor space of 131 square meters. The home was designed with a clean and modern look to it with plain wood and walls painted in pure white. Plenty of natural light floods into the house thanks to the numerous windows making the house feel a lot more spacious. [Image Courtesy of Moon Hoon] The living room, along with kitchen and bathroom are spread out over the first two floors and the entire third floor is for playing in. [Image Courtesy of Moon Hoon] What looks to be a bookshelf is actually a hidden door and this can be opened to reveal the hidden play area inside. The play area comes with its own slide and of course, this being a Star Wars house, it has a control room. [Image Courtesy of Moon Hoon] The Star Wars house cost 200 million KRW to design and build, which is around US$192, 000. [Image Courtesy of Moon Hoon] - See more at: http://interestingengineering.com/star-wars-house-takes-design-from-movie/#sthash.SAVBDz5t.dpuf

Thursday, 25 September 2014

10 investors who Died of their own Inventions.

While many inventors live happy and prosperous lives, perhaps with plenty of money thanks to their inventions, others are not so lucky. In fact, some inventors have been known to have died thanks to their own inventions and here are 10 of them.
1.Franz Reichelt, the tailor who invented the “wingsuit”.
franz-reichelt1
Franz Reichelt decided to make a “wingsuit” which he said would allow him to glide effortlessly, in a similar fashion to parachutes of today, however it wasn’t to be. On 4 February 1912 the French tailor climbed up to the top of the Eiffel Tower in the wingsuit he had made, having previously told the French authorities that he was going to use a dummy to test the suit out. He changed his mind on arriving at the tower and announced that he would be wearing the suit and jumping himself.
18osrwinot4p6jpg
Even though people around him tried to persuade him otherwise, he was adamant that he wanted to make the jump saying that he wanted to try it without any trickery, so as to prove the worth of his invention. The wingsuit had a parachute with a surface area of 320 square feet and was 16 feet in height; all he had to do was extend his arms out like wings.
Watched over by 30 journalists, a large crowd and 2 cinematographers he climbed onto the ledge and jumped over. Sadly, the wingsuit just wrapped around his body and he plummeted to the ground 187 feet below where he left a crater that was reported to be 5.9 inches in depth. He suffered devastating injuries, however it was said that the cause of death was a heart attack on the free-fall down.
2.Perillos of Athens and his Brazen Bull
brazenbull[Image Courtesy of WikimediaCommons]
Perillos worked as a bronze worker and he made what was known as the “Brazen Bull”. This was a device with the purpose of executing criminals in a slow and agonising death. The Brazen Bull was hollow and prisoners were put into it and then roasted via a fire that was underneath the stomach of the bull. Perillos was making a pitch of his invention to the tyrant lord of Acragas in Sicily and when he showed the bull off he was asked to get inside it. A fire was then lit underneath the bull. It isn’t made clear as to whether he actually roasted to death inside the bull or whether he was taken out before he died and thrown off a cliff.
3.Stuntman Karel Soucek and his shock absorbent barrel
18osnofcp578vjpg[Image Courtesy of Karel Soucek]   
Karel Soucek was a stuntman who first went over the Niagara Falls in a shock absorbent barrel that he had custom built in 1984. Strangely he survived this rather silly stunt, but then one year later he thought he would like to test it out being dropped from the Houston Astrodome, 180 feet, into a tank full of water. This time he wasnt so lucky as the capsule hit the rim of the tank of water and he perished a few hours later in hospital due to the injuries he suffered.
4.Horace Lawson Hunley and his submarine
hunley_0 [Image Courtesy of WikimediaCommons]  
Lawyer Horace Lawson Hunley had a passion for submarines and during the battle of the Civil War he helped to design and build three models. The third submarine was funded by him and on 15 October 1863 he along with 7 crewmembers took the submarine down and it sank in Charleston S.C. The submarine was recovered and was then used again; surprisingly the submarine sank a ship and was the first submarine to actually do so. It’s a pity Hunley didn’t live to see it.

5.William Bullock and his Rotary Printing Press
a98738_Bullock
[Image Courtesy of Wikipedia]  
American inventor William Bullock invented a printing press in 1863 that helped to change the print industry. However on 3 April 1867 he was adjusting the press and he kicked a driving belt on a pulley and got his leg crushed. Within days he developed gangrene and on 12 April he died in hospital during an operation to amputate his leg.
6.Max Valier and his Liquid Fuelled Rocket Car
a98738_Rocket[Image Courtesy of Wikipedia]  
Max Valier worked with liquid fuelled rockets for rocket powered cars and he had success on 25 January 1930. On 19 April 1930 he made a test drive of a rocket car, which was successful, but one month later 17 May 1930 he was killed when testing an alcohol fuelled rocket car and it exploded.
7.Thomas Midgley and his System of Strings and Pulleys
a98738_Midgley[Image Courtesy of WikimediaCommons]   
Thomas Midgley was a mechanical engineer who after illness became disabled. He then invented a system of strings and pulleys so that people could help to lift him from his bed. However on 2 November 1944 he died after being strangled by the system when he became entangled in ropes of the system.
8.Sieur Freminet and his Rebreathing device
a98738_Sieur[Image Courtesy of Oddee] 
Sieur Freminet invented a rebreathing device for scuba diving in 1772 that recycled the air exhaled from inside the barrel. However the invention wasn’t that good as he died from a lack of oxygen inside the invention after just twenty minutes.
9.Henry Smolinski and his Flying Car
flyingcar_0[Image Courtesy of WikimediaCommons]   
Henry Smolinski was a trained engineer who gave up his job to begin Advanced Vehicle Engineers, with the aim of inventing a flying car. In 1973 they built two prototypes when they fused the back end of the Cessna Skymaster airplane to a Ford Pinto, with the tail section being designed to attach and the detach from the car. On 11 Sept 1973 he tested it alongside Harold Blake, the pilot, and both were killed when the wing strut came away from the car.
10.Valerian Abakovsky and his Aerowagon train engine
aerowagon[Image Courtesy of WikimediaCommons]  
Russian inventor Valerian Abakovsky invented the Aerowagon, it featured the engine and propeller of an airplane and was made to take Soviet officials backwards and forwards from Moscow. The invention was successful on the outgoing leg when testing it but on the incoming journey it crashed on reaching the station and the inventor died.
- See more at: http://interestingengineering.com/10-inventors-who-died-by-their-own-inventions/#sthash.Qev1lTl3.dpuf

Friday, 19 September 2014

Amazing Yacht..

This Luxurious Island Yacht Design Concept is a truly magnificent example of creative design It was designed by a UK firm named Yacht Island Design LtdLuxurious Island Yacht Design Concept.  The idea behind the concept is to combine a tropical island with a luxury yacht.New-Concept-in-Luxury-Yachting-The-Yacht-Island-01 
It incorporates island features such as bamboo huts with modern comforts and luxuries. There is also a beach deck which would allow certain popular water sports.New-Concept-in-Luxury-Yachting-The-Yacht-Island-02 Indoor entertainment includes cinemas, a games room and a library. Holiday luxuries such as fine dining and a fully equipped gym are also included in the design. New-Concept-in-Luxury-Yachting-The-Yacht-Island-04  It is like a moveable island. In order to recreate a natural island feel the yacht features a waterfall, a mountain stream and a beautiful valley pool as well as a replica 

Tuesday, 16 September 2014

Lumilor Lets your paints with light amazing.

U.S. based company, Darkside Scientific, have developed a new interesting way to paint with light. Their patended and trademarked LumiLor is a technology that lets you add a glow in the dark effect to complex surfaces that lights up when a current is applied. This means there is no fade and it can be controlled to flash, strobe or produce patterns.
lumilor[Image Courteys of Darkside Scientific]
The Ohio based company has developed the electroluminescent coating over the past few years but unfortunately you can’t just buy it off the shelf as applying the paint requires some training in order to produce quality results. The colours are currently limitted to white and a luminescent blue-green but they’ve already been put to impressive uses.
Just check out the finish on this Tesla, which is normally a head-turner in its own right:
The tech is a complicated multi-layer coating that includes a conductive base, two-wire connections to electrical power, an insulating primer coat and the final lighting top coat – hence the lack of on the shelf products.
lumilor-el-paint-3[Image Courteys of Darkside Scientific]
What began as a way of customising motorbikes could now see a lot more uses than originally expected. The company are now looking into everything from household applicances, car accessories and building materials.
We have broken new ground, and it would be very dangerous for us as a company to compromise our (intellectual property) in any transaction,” said Darkside Scientific’s CEO Shawn Mastrian.
We have told everyone we deal with that we will walk away from any deal that includes sharing our IP. That’s where our value is.”
- See more at: http://interestingengineering.com/must-see-lumilor-lets-you-paint-with-light/#sthash.Oz5BqX98.dpuf